Lunch! What'd ya have? (2014)

[huiray]

Anna N, you might consider trying out the "Spag Bol Inspired" meat sauce for pasta that I make from time to time, which has as the spice seasonings cloves, cinnamon and star anise.  I've posted a representative recipe for this on eG on other threads in the past.  Oh -- rice vinegar, soy sauce and TOMATO KETCHUP also go into this. ;-)   If this gives you a heart attack, then maybe this is not for you. :-) 

Edited August 1, 2014 by huiray (log)

[CatPoet]

AnnaN  try to pronounce the Swedish word, that will be  challenge since the  K is soft the ö is more like ehm sound...

 

Lunch today is samosas!

[liuzhou]

Today the temperature hit 43ºC / 109ºF. Cooking wasn't an option. Going out wasn't either.

 

So lunch was fruit from the fridge. Then I went to sit in the fridge.

 

Red dragon fruit (pitaya), mango and lime.

 

 

 

[huiray]

• Maitake mushroom & Taiwan Choy Sum stir-fry w/ ginger.

• Shanghai Yangchun noodles w/ duck wing stock/broth^¶ and chopped scallions.

 

 

^¶Meaty duck wings cut into pieces and chopped across the bones; marinated w/ luscious soy paste, sesame oil, jozo-mirin, light soy sauce, a bit of dark soy sauce, ground white pepper.  Baked till partly caramelized.  Lots of gelatin released.  Everything transferred to a pot, water added plus generous sliced ginger, seasoning adjusted, simmered till judged done.

[SobaAddict70]

Zucchine con acciughe e capperi ("zucchini with anchovy and capers")

Oven-roasted tomatoes

Pasta con salsa di mandorle e bietole ("pasta with chard and almond sauce").

Adapted from: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/942 (with heirloom parsley instead of basil, twists instead of strangozzi and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese instead of Grana Padano).

[rotuts]

well, its true.

 

pasta always sounds better in Italian.

 

that's not a Dig etc

 

but a fact.

 

it its in French, well ....

 

walk away.

[lesliec]

Back in history, I walked some of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain (until one of my knees decided it had had enough).  A regular morning snack was a bocadillo - essentially a baguette with various fillings.  One particular favourite was bocadillo con tortilla, with Spanish omelette, not the thin Mexican pancake.  And on the side, either a glass of red wine or some cider.

 

On Saturday I spotted some bottles of Basque cider at my favourite food/booze shop, and the memories came flooding back.  So, armed with a bottle, a baguette and some local chorizo, I headed home and created lunch:

 

 

Very tasty.  And filling.

 

Incidentally, a couple of TV programs have put me onto a good tip for making a great tortilla.  Most recipes will tell you to slice your onions and potatoes, mix them with your eggs and seasonings and put the lot in a frying pan.  The variation is to deep-fry the sliced onions and potatoes until they're just starting to go soft, then mix them in with the other ingredients and frying gently.  This seems to give a better texture, perhaps a little more taste and more control over the frying process - you don't need to cook in the pan for as long, so there's less risk of burning.  And don't be afraid to use plenty of olive oil for the frying.

[CatPoet]

Yesterday Sunday, we had big brunch with  friends, I dont take pictures when I eat with friends, I find it rude.  

 

We had  sleep over omelette , 3 types of fried sausages,  smoked bacon, smoked  salmon,   vegetable stew, fresh vegetables , juice, coffee,  tea,  jam, bread and  we ended it all with a  yummy kladdkaka.

[huiray]

A riff on Yeung Chow fried rice.

 

Three farm eggs were beaten w/ some water, oil, hon-dashi granules and ground white pepper; then fried in plenty of very hot peanut oil to give a simple bubbly lightly browned omelette. This was set aside, allowed to cool a bit then cut into ribbons and reserved.  Duck fat was added to the pan, chopped garlic was tossed/stirred around followed by pre-soaked large dried prawns (har mai), then Chinese BBQ pork (char siu) chopped into fine dice.  Continued high heat.  Chinese long beans chopped into ~ 2 inch length and Dragon Tongue beans cut diagonally into ~ 1 inch pieces went in next.  Tossed around.  White rice followed and everything mixed well; high heat.  Seasoning was adjusted.  Chopped scallions (lots) and the reserved egg ribbons went in and mixed in.  The heat was shut off and the pan covered for a couple of minutes.  Served w/ chopped coriander leaves and freshly deep-fried sliced shallots.  Accompanied by pickled scallions & Japanese cucumbers; plus Lingham's Hot Sauce.

 

 

 

[huiray]

Pork wontons w/ kai lan in chicken broth.  Garnished w/ fresh deep-fried shallots & coriander leaves.

 

 

The filling was minced pork with andouille sausage mince (1:1), mixed w/ sesame oil, chopped scallions, chopped garlic, finely sliced wood-ear fungus (rehydrated & trimmed dried stuff), ground white pepper, sang chau [Kimlan], a few dashes of fish sauce [Red Boat], crumbled half of a palm sugar nugget.

 

The chicken broth was chicken stock plus chicken fat, rendered in the stock, chopped garlic, simmered for a bit, seasoning adjusted and diluted a bit.

 

 

I also made a batch of munchies and chomped on them as well. :-)

 

Edited August 7, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Anna N]

Real food once more! Car battery boosted. Grocery shopping done. I de-boned a chicken thigh, seasoned it with Spike seasoning, cooked it skin down in a cast iron pan until the skin was shatteringly crisp and served it on the bed of arugula, tomato and red onion. The dressing (not shown) was a homemade smoky tomato dressing.

Just cannot resist this close-up

[rotuts]

nice.

 

is that plate a bit 'wavy?'

[Anna N]

nice.

 

is that plate a bit 'wavy?'

It is indeed wavy. I am SO DAMN PROUD of that plate! $1.99. It just seems to show food of so many kinds to the best advantage. And the "bowl" holds a (to me) normal serving of most things.

[rotuts]

Excellent !

 

Excellent Indeed, esp. at $ 1.99 CAN.

 

very very darch-y

 

in the best possible sense !

 

[BeeZee]

Pocketless whole wheat pita (so, more or less a flatbread) warmed in toaster oven, smooshed some mild goats cheese all over it. Topped with sliced yellow tomato and a few drips of Trader Joe's balsamic glaze. It was very Calder-esque, sorry I didn't take a photo. But very yummy.

[Anna N]

Not too different from yesterday's lunch. When you find something good you might as well keep doing it!

[huiray]

Lunch yesterday:

 

• Beef short ribs (bone-in) & pork belly stew – w/ sautéed garlic, red & yellow onions; salted & simmered ~ 1½ hours; then, sequentially – baby new Yukon Gold & Red Gold potatoes, red & orange carrots, whole shallots, dried oregano & thyme; then a good dash of Maggi sauce (German version) plus some Takara hon-mirin.

• Napa cabbage & deribbed Tuscan kale stir-fried w/ garlic.

• White rice.

 

[weinoo]

Farmer's market haul...

 

 

Salad + corn and polenta and scallops.

[Dejah]

After a 2-week road trip, after ANY and all road trips, this is the comfort food we craved: 

Hubby's childhood favourite - rice omelette with cheddar cheese sauce

 

 

I prefer fresh herbs from my garden: Parsley, 2 kinds of basil, and cilantro

 

 

[Anna N]

There comes a time when one feels less like a cook and more like the curator of a museum of repasts of yesterweek. When the refrigerator surely cannot hold one more BPA-free container of leftovers. When one's perfectly steamed broccoli florets and sauteed until golden brown chicken thighs simply lose their lustre. Then it's time to suffer through one last bowl of leftovers and ditch the rest. Surprising how dumping out a few containers into something other than one's self can help make that last bowlful tolerable!

[huiray]

There's nothing wrong with leftovers.

 

ETA: In my opinion.

Edited August 14, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Anna N]

There's nothing wrong with leftovers.

 

ETA: In my opinion.

Of course there isn't. I love leftovers. But moderation in all things. When you live alone leftovers can become tiresome the third or fourth time around. That's when I give myself permission to ditch them.

[Shelby]

I wish I had another stomach because I'd make another one of these.  Heaven on a plate.

 

Garden tomatoes, bologna, homemade white bread, mayo.

 

[Anna N]

I wish I had another stomach because I'd make another one of these.  Heaven on a plate.

 

Garden tomatoes, bologna, homemade white bread, mayo.

 

photo 2.jpg

Shelby,

If we could just drop the bologna? Otherwise heavenly for sure! I can smell the summer in those tomatoes.

[huiray]

Of course there isn't. I love leftovers. But moderation in all things. When you live alone leftovers can become tiresome the third or fourth time around. That's when I give myself permission to ditch them.

 

True enough.  (Or when they grow arms and legs and wave at you)